New Bern is a medium-sized coastal city (i.e. on the ocean, a bay, or inlet) located in the state of North Carolina. With a population of 34,218 people and 14 associated neighborhoods, New Bern is the 32nd largest community in North Carolina. Much of the housing stock in New Bern was built relatively recently. The construction of new real estate can often be taken as an indication that the local New Bern economy is robust, and that jobs or other amenities are attracting an influx of new residents. This seems to be the case in New Bern, where the median household income is $61,031.00.

There are quite a few people in the armed forces living in New Bern, and when you visit or drive around town, you will see military people in and out of uniform, shopping, enjoying life, and being part of the community.

Also of interest is that New Bern has more people living here who work in computers and math than 95% of the places in the US.

A relatively large number of people in New Bern telecommute to their jobs. Overall, about 8.80% of the workforce works from home. While this may seem like a small number, as a fraction of the total workforce it ranks among the highest in the country. These workers are often telecommuters who work in knowledge-based, white-collar professions. For example, Silicon Valley has large numbers of people who telecommute. Other at-home workers may be self-employed people who operate small businesses out of their homes.

New Bern is also nautical, which means that parts of it are somewhat historic and touch the ocean or tidal bodies of water, such as inlets and bays. Quite often, nautical areas such as these attract visitors and locals who come to enjoy the scenery and various waterfront activities.

The overall education level of New Bern citizens is substantially higher than the typical US community, as 29.40% of adults in New Bern have at least a bachelor's degree, and the average American community has 21.84%.

The per capita income in New Bern in 2022 was $38,196, which is upper middle income relative to North Carolina and the nation. This equates to an annual income of $152,784 for a family of four. However, New Bern contains both very wealthy and poor people as well.

New Bern is an extremely ethnically-diverse city. The people who call New Bern home describe themselves as belonging to a variety of racial and ethnic groups. The greatest number of New Bern residents report their race to be White, followed by Black or African-American. Important ancestries of people in New Bern include English, German, Irish, Italian, and Scottish.

The most common language spoken in New Bern is English. Other important languages spoken here include Spanish and Other Asian languages.